TYNWALD President Clare Christian has called on members to be open-minded and take part in constructive debates as they tackle the challenges that lay ahead this year.
Mrs Christian who took over as president in July following Noel Cringle’s retirement said she was settling in – and enjoying her new role.
In a message to Tynwald members, she said: ‘It’s important, given the situation we are in, that members address the issues that come before them with an open mind so that Tynwald can explore wide ranging ideas with constructive debate to establish policies for the years ahead.’
Mrs Christian found herself in the spotlight in the first Tynwald after the general election when members sat to elect a new chief minister.
As Liberal Vannin members Kate Beecroft and Zac Hall used their nomination of Peter Karran to launch personal attacks on Allan Bell, Mrs Christian had to intervene on numerous occasions and threaten to stop their speeches.
However, Mrs Christian has let it be known she doesn’t intend to hark back to those controversial scenes but states that our focus should be on the future.
Similarly, in the neutrality of her presiding role, she has maintained a silence on her sister Anne Craine’s defeat in the polls in September’s election.
When asked how she was finding the role, she said: ‘I’m getting used to it. We had a new Tynwald, a new government team and we have all been going through a settling in period since the election.
‘As we go into the New Year, we will be facing a number of important debates. I am looking forward to them being positive and constructive as the island steers its way through the volatility of the world situation.’
She expected fundamental debates would include those tackling housing and support structures for the most vulnerable people in our society.
She said she was finding the position of president ‘quite different’ from her previous role working in departments and on Tynwald committees as a member of the Legislative Council, which she was first appointed to in 1993.
‘It’s quite a change but I’m adjusting to it,’ she said.
‘In addition to my presiding role, I’m enjoying the opportunity to introduce visitors to our shores to our unique legislature in Tynwald and illustrate how we can respond so effectively to those who want to develop business opportunites here or indeed, to live here.’
Mrs Christian follows in the footsteps of her father, Sir Charles Kerruish, who was the first President of Tynwald (1990-2000). The late Sir Charles, who was also Speaker of the House of Keys for 28 years during a parliamentary career that ran from 1946 to 2000, was the most significant figure in Tynwald in the last century.
But, while confirming he was undoubtedly a role model, she added: ‘I have to be my own person.Everyone has to do it in their own way.’
Mrs Christian was first elected as a member of the House of Keys for Ayre in 1980 and re-elected in 1981.
She contested the seat unsuccessfully in 1986 when the constituency was reduced from two seats to one.
After returning to Tynwald as an MLC, she served as health minister from 1996-2004.